Lee Hartung Auctions America by RM – Auction Results

The Lee Roy Hartung Collection was offered for sale by Auctions America by RM in partnership with RM Auctions during a multi-day sale in Glenview, Illinois, November 3-5, 2011.

The eclectic Lee Roy Hartung Collection of automobiles, motorcycles and memorabilia was gathered over the past 50 years by the Chicago collector. The auction totaled 1580 lots, all offered at no reserve, with total sales of $3,957,039. Bidders came from nine countries, including 45 states across the USA, with strong interest from the Midwest.

“We were honored to have been entrusted with the sale of the famed Lee Roy Hartung Collection and are very pleased with the results,” says Donnie Gould, president Auctions America by RM. “The sale was a terrific celebration of one man’s drive to collect and preserve American history. Collectors recognized the range of rare ownership opportunities the sale presented, as was reflected in the strong attendance and results. In addition to the automobiles, vintage motorcycles were a major component and focus of the collection. The prices realized for the examples on offer confirms the continued strength of the collectible motorcycle market.”

Top sale went to the time-warp 1911 Flying Merkel Twin Belt Drive for $201,500, followed by the 1950 Veritas BMW at $195,500 and the 1950 Edwards R-26 Roadster that sold for $143,750. A 1912 Harley-Davidson Single-Cylinder Belt Drive, believed to be among the best 1912 examples in the world, brought $115,000.

Other notable sales at the Lee Hartung Collection auction included over 5,000 individual license plates, headlined by state runs of Arizona and West Virginia license plates that realized $29,900 each, an assortment of timewarp and original bicycles, headlined by a Aero Cycle by Schwinn and an Elgin Antique Bicycle, which individually sold for $5,175 each, plus an original, double-sided illuminated garage sign for $34,500.

Auctions America by RM kicks off its 2012 auction season with the presentation of its inaugural Las Vegas Premier Motorcycle auction at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, January 12 – 14. The multi-day sale is expected to present some 400 classic motorcycles, including the historic 1894 Roper Steam Motorcycle, one of the world’s oldest motorcycles.